Pez: We are having a lazy start to Sunday. Talking about breaking bad, eating buffet food and talking politics. We'll get around to posting stuff sooner or later, but for now you all have my permission to go out and enjoy your day.

General Room Notes – Marten speakers. Normally I dislike these speakers intensely. But I have to say the Modwright gear is making them downright listenable! The Dynamic Design cables I know from past experience are also first rate and contributing to the downright great sound this room is getting.

GREAT room treatments in this room. Only thing I’ve seen at the whole show that is on par with the art panels from GIK. Really cool looking and a great way to get room treatments past your wife/girlfriend.

Saint-Saens Violin & Piano – Normally this track drives me out of the room o Marten’s, but even with the dissonant violin playing, I’m still enjoying the sound.

Handel Aria – Just crystal clear beauty. Absolutely stunning transparency, on par with the best I’ve heard at the show.

Mahler Symphony – On the crazy big dynamics of this track they do quite well. Big, big sound. Oh, there’s that bit of splashiness on the cymbals that normally drives me out of the room. Good news is that it’s really subdued and tamed. Still a bit bright, but not in a super painful way.

Civil Wars – Hard to comment on the sound as I am coming to hate this piece of music down to my very core.

Tom Waits – Sounds good, but in a very hifi boring sort of way. This track is not a strength in this system.

Jason’s Notes

Wow right off the bat the jazz they are playing in this room sounds great! The marten speakers in piano black lacquer are pretty stunning with the contrasting white ceramic drivers.

The sound saint Saens is appropriately edgy yet wonderful and rich.

Handel is well controlled even with the extreme dynamic ah talk in the vocals.

The Mahler again incredibly well controlled dynamics and neutrality without sterility. This is one of the best overall balances I have heard at the show top to bottom.

One that got away is pristine in this system and powerfully dynamic. Proper use of room treatments. Rally is shining because we are listening at relatively high levels vs other rooms we've been in and the system doesn't overload at all. Great kick drum towards the end of the track. Wow liking this a lot.

General Room Notes – PranaFidelity is just a balm to my ears after they hyperanalytical Marten speakers.

Saint-Saens Violin & Piano – Just a nice, full, beautiful sound on both the violin and the piano. If you want something that you can put on and just flow with the music, this is it.

Handel Aria – Nice. Fuller, more organic sound that almost any room we’ve been in. Sounds more like an actual human being rather than a disembodied voice.

Mahler Symphony – Really like Mahler. Just a nice, big, fat, full sound. Really nice contrast to the “push detail aggressively in your face” of so many other rooms here.

Civil Wars – What, what, what? I’m actually enjoying this track in this room. I still hate Jason for bringing it, but at least I don’t feel like ripping his heart out with my bare hands right now.

Tom Waits – Even more guttural than usual. Really gets the essence of a rough life, hard lived. Overall, I’d say that if you are tired of the hifi merry-go-round and just want to get a speaker that makes music that you can enjoy for the rest of your life, then you owe it to yourself to check these out.

Jason’s Notes

So these speakers can be tuned on the fly via the x over. They started out sounding a touch harsh, but with a flip of a switch on the back of the speakers they instantly morphed into something different entirely. As a rule they image and soundstage like beasts. But the tonality shifts pretty dramatically with different roll off points etc.

TCW very very nice soundstage and huge hornesque imaging I really like that. A little overhang in the mid bass region as per these rooms.

The Waits they really belt it out with confidence and stride. Another really great room!

We are now listening to the same setup on a different amp. And it sounds even better! More liquid more seductive. Just great overall. The only caveat I have is the sort of plain jane look of the equipment. If you're the kind of audiophile that likes great sound at a reasonable price then this would be the way to go, if you want an aesthetically sexy looking speaker then look elsewhere.

General Room Notes – OMG, huge f’ing horns! These might be the biggest horn speakers I’ve ever seen in my entire life! Generally I don’t like horns. Music is not playing yet. I’m getting ready to brace myself for the inevitable pain.

On the jazz track they have playing, it actually sounds pretty good! Nice dynamics. Not overly bright. Oh wait, now that the upper part of the piano is being banged out, ouch. Very cool looking speakers, but time to leave….

Actually, they put on a different recording (Ella and Louis), and it sounds pretty good. But I bet they would sound a lot better in a bigger room.

Jason’s Notes

Impressive looking giant horns reminiscent of avantgarde brand speakers. But I can't help but think of a Boeing jet engine when I look at them. Mostly took pics but I can hear that horn sound both dynamically speaking but also with that golden era horn coloration. Oddly I can't seem to hear an image or soundstage,.. Maybe too small of a room for these behemoths.

General Room Notes – Wow, two tonally beautiful rooms in a row, Sunday is going GREAT! Just an FYI, I am a tonality freak and Jason is more a soundstage and detail freak. So the rooms I love have to have amazing tonality. Daedalus, Fritz, Prana, and AudioKinesis all fit in that mold.

Saint-Saens Violin & Piano – Maybe, no definitely the most beautiful presentation of this track at the entire show.

Handel Aria – Ditto, just beautiful. I really expected the imaging to be washy in this room, due to the LCS technology. But the image is rock solid center. And a lot of ambiance stretching WAAAAYYYYY back, way past the physical boundaries of the room. Side to side imaging is not as impressive, but still very good.

Mahler Symphony – Really nice, big spacious open sound. Again, it actually expands beyond the physical confines of the room. I don’t think ANY other system at the show has been able to pull that off.

Civil Wars – Another room where I don’t feel like gouging out Jason’s eyes for bringing this piece of music. Now THAT’s a testament to the room’s musicality

Tom Waits – You know, for such a nicely balanced, somewhat warm and laid back presentation, they sure present old Tom with the appropriate gruffness. Here’s the thing – in most systems you have to choose – do I want detail and grunt, or do I want warmth and musicality. Interestingly here, you get all the detail, soundstage and tone in a very musical presentation.

Jason’s Notes

Ok outside of the sweets lot these sound good, but not mind blowing. In the sweet spot these are amongst the best I have heard in the show. I traded with Tyson for my tracks starting with the civil wars and there is a soooooo much more in the sweet spot. Great dynamics anywhere in the room, but imaging and soundstage that is quite breath taking and emotionality that is pretty heart stopping.

Tom waits ohhhhhh wow. Just amazing. This feels like a era performance. I haven't heard such a focused soundstage at this show period. Absolutely phenomenal. Easily a contender for best in show.

General Room Notes – Love, love, love the look of these speakers. Absolutely beautiful in their white gloss finish. And matching white amps, of course! Very cool clear acrylic diffusers of to the side. Kudos for doing room treatment!

OK, this is hilarious. Jonathan Valin is here and people are falling all over themselves to cater to him. I guess I can understand, he’s doing a serious demo and he can sort of make or break you with a few comments, but it’s still mildly nauseating.

As to the sound quality, it’s not bad. Very airy and clean. Tonally a bit light, but no real major problems with the sound. I mean it doesn’t really grab me or anything, but it’s nice in that sort of boring hifi way.

{EDIT} - On the way out of the room I saw a reel to reel tape deck that was completely customized and is just about the coolest damn thing I've seen at the whole show. Now that Valin is gone they fired it up for us and the sound is MUCH better. Actually really digging the music here. Plus the people running the room seem very cool and very nice.

Oh, Rochlin just showed up, so it seems our time is up....

Jason’s NotesThe MBL room is simply a sight to behold. Modern art meets sonic beauty. The sound is elegant, understated and pretty damn inspiring. I find myself at ease with the way these present the piano piece we are listening to. The notes just drip from the speakers and because of their omni directional design there isn't a bad seat in the house. Their butterfly touch to microdynamics is something I don't think I've hear at this show.

Side note, people, don't differ to me because I've got a press badge and tablet on my lap. Take the sweet spot!

Any way now I'm in the sweet spot and it's pretty good with the exception that the soundstage is stopped right against the wall. They still do a decent job of projecting but ultimately are blunted by their proximity to the front wall. Best super hifi sounding room of the show, but as I've said about most of the super hifi guys are lacking that animalistic presentation and this system is no exception. I like what I'm hearing, but ultimately would get bored of it.

Listening to the r2r right now and wow is all it have to say!!! Listening to Hugh Masekela - Stimela [Coal Train] Great dynamics and that emotion I said was sort of washed out. Ohhhh I was wrong. Damn was I ever wrong!!

General Room Notes – Wow, two tonally beautiful rooms in a row, Sunday is going GREAT! Just an FYI, I am a tonality freak and Jason is more a soundstage and detail freak. So the rooms I love have to have amazing tonality. Daedalus, Fritz, Prana, and AudioKinesis all fit in that mold.

Saint-Saens Violin & Piano – Maybe, no definitely the most beautiful presentation of this track at the entire show.

Handel Aria – Ditto, just beautiful. I really expected the imaging to be washy in this room, due to the LCS technology. But the image is rock solid center. And a lot of ambiance stretching WAAAAYYYYY back, way past the physical boundaries of the room. Side to side imaging is not as impressive, but still very good.

Mahler Symphony – Really nice, big spacious open sound. Again, it actually expands beyond the physical confines of the room. I don’t think ANY other system at the show has been able to pull that off.

Civil Wars – Another room where I don’t feel like gouging out Jason’s eyes for bringing this piece of music. Now THAT’s a testament to the room’s musicality

Tom Waits – You know, for such a nicely balanced, somewhat warm and laid back presentation, they sure present old Tom with the appropriate gruffness. Here’s the thing – in most systems you have to choose – do I want detail and grunt, or do I want warmth and musicality. Interestingly here, you get all the detail, soundstage and tone in a very musical presentation.

Jason’s Notes

Ok outside of the sweets lot these sound good, but not mind blowing. In the sweet spot these are amongst the best I have heard in the show. I traded with Tyson for my tracks starting with the civil wars and there is a soooooo much more in the sweet spot. Great dynamics anywhere in the room, but imaging and soundstage that is quite breath taking and emotionality that is pretty heart stopping.

Tom waits ohhhhhh wow. Just amazing. This feels like a era performance. I haven't heard such a focused soundstage at this show period. Absolutely phenomenal. Easily a contender for best in show.

General Room – King Speakers planar magnetics. Just happened to be walking by and just by pure chance we saw these awesome looking electrostatic speakers. Jason is being shown what an audio null is. OB speakers like stats don’t radiate sound to the side, and if you stand in that null, there is no sound. It works! (Yes I tried it too, but I’m not dumb enough to get caught on film).

Handel – Oh man, just flies through this track effortlessly. This is a freaking hard track to do right and they just belt it out with so much effortless ease, it’s almost like they are nonchalantly saying “is that all you got?”

Mahler – I definitely expect them to fall apart on this hugely dynamic piece. But they don’t! Even that huge bass drum is reproduced with lifelike dynamics. Did I mention that there’s no sub or “helper woofer”. All that really good, really strong bass is produced by the panels alone.

Civil Wars – Actually sounds pretty good. Both relaxed and super detailed at the same time. I’m off to the side of the sweet spot and almost sitting right on top of the speaker and it just maintains its coherency. These guys have a giant sweet spot. Even better than the

Tom Waits – You really get the physicality of the plucked strings on the double bass on this song. Vibrating string on wood. Interesting how they manage to be really detailed, but not analytical or bright sounding at all. AND, unlike the VAST majority of stats I’ve heard before, they give proper weight to the music.

Jason’s Notes

Man it's like one great room after another today! All three of Tyson's tracks were out of this world great.

While not as locked in as the audiokensis room these speakers image pretty good. I will say the pacing and groove are not quite as good as I expected based on the other tracks, but still fun to listen to.

General Room – At least 3 people told us how great this room was and how much we needed to check it out. So here we are. Very, very retro cool looking. Furniture grade cabinets with old school acoustic cloth.

Listening to the vendors music and I have to say 2 things right off the bat – first, they sound GIANT. Like Voice of God giant. Second they are the only speaker at the show where their dynamic capabilities actually startled me. As in I literally jumped out of my seat. Phenomenal. On the downside, they are so bright and spitty in the highs that I am just not able to stay in here. It’s too bad, in a lot of ways this is a really phenomenal speaker, but they really do need to damp down the tweeter.

Jason Notes

I have done this show for years and years every once in a while something happens that I have never seen before. This time it was Tyson literally jumping startled by the sudden dynamic face punch this system does.

General Room – The defending world champion, best of sound according to both me and Jason last year. Can they defend their crown? Was last year a fluke? Or has Odyssey and GIK permanently raised the bar?

Saint Saens – Of course, the Odyssey room has the get up and go boogie factor more than anyone else, and not by a little. The music is dynamic, lively and FUN. Toes are tapping like crazy on this track.

Handel – Dare I say it? Yes I do – best imaging speakers on this track of the entire show. And conveys emotion like nobodies business. Passion just dripping from the singer. And they do it without sounding fuzzy or soft. Excellent.

Civil Wars – Moved back a seat for Jason’s tracks. Hey, I can actually make out the words that she’s singing. That’s pretty amazing since I’ve heard this track way more times than I ever wanted to over the past 3 days, but this is the first time I can actually understand the words. Again, without any hint of over analytical sound or brightness. Does being able to understand the words make me like Jason’s choice in music any more? No, not really But I will say this, the bass is some of the best I’ve heard at the show, outside of the GR Research room.

Tom Waits – I really like that all the instruments are evenly presented and no particular musical thread is lost. Everything is just a coherent musical whole. Great track of music and I’m enjoying the hell out of it here. And again, able to understand the words. That’s even MORE impressive than the Civil Wars track.

Overall I am stating for the record that this room is definitely top 5 in show and a very strong contender for absolute best sound in show for the 2nd year in a row.

Jason’s Notes

I've been uploading photos so I'll be short and to the point with Tyson's music: dynamics control, bass, microdynamics etc etc etc all A+ in my book.

Civ. wars is seductive. Sexy more be breathy on the female vocals in a way that creates a deeper sense of intimacy. Audiokensis level soundstage and image lock. Masterful I believe is the word I'm looking for.

Waits gruff, yet melodic we'll paced yet laid back this system does it all, again yet better than last year. There's just so much great about this setup that it's hard to quantify. Usually you can hear bass issues or shoutiness in the mids or harshness in the highs, but I hear none of that. Bass like you wouldn't believe from a two way speaker.

The other thing that's amazing to me is that it sounds really nice outside of the sweet spot.

On vinyl more of the same great sound really even really nuanced. Such a deep dark black noise floor. So much greatness again with this system.

One last note this room is huge. There's another system in the back of the room that we are going to come back to tomorrow. The reason being Ryan informed us that they are trying to work out getting a different dac with the gear. We wanted to give this system a listen when it was ready to go. PLEASE PLEASE Don't forget this room!!!!!!

General Room – First off, these speakers look amazing in real life. You can’t really judge them by their pictures online. Honestly when I saw the pictures I thought they looked kind of dumb. But there’s all kinds of subtle curves and design touches that really pulls the look of the speaker together. And from a pure quality standpoint, maybe the best finished speaker in the entire show. Stunning cabinet work.

Saint Saens – Again, a very large soundstage, you can definitely hear the same house sound between the Joule’s and the Nimbus.

Handel – It’s nice to hear this track and not have it overload the room and go into break up. What is very cool is that you hear lots of emotion with this track on a lot of systems, but this is the first system where that emotion is specifically pathos. Now THAT is some emotional truth!

Mahler – Cavernous soundstage once again, great, great dynamics. The Joule’s are really pressing forward the cymbals on this track. I definitely prefer the Numbus’ here due to the Joule’s being a bit more bright sounding.

Civil Wars – Hahaha, just huge sound. Love it. Absolutely larger than life and absolutely freaking awesome! I think this is the most enthusiastic I’ve been about this track all day.

Tom Waits – Moving to the front spot actually focuses these speakers even more. Still larger than life but now very tightly defined imaging and soundstage. Again, tonally these are slightly too bright for me (I prefer the Nimbus’ tonal balance), but on the other hand the percussive microdynamics are absolutely incredible. Layers and layers of musical information.

Overall, great, great speakers that do the vast majority of things superlatively well.

{EDIT} Someone put on another song “Las Vegas”, while I am sitting here way off to the side typing up these comments. I don’t like to hog the sweet spot after our demo disc is finished. So I’m typing away and they are doing a duet chorus “Las Vegas. Las Vegas. Las Vegas.” And I have to look over at the guy sitting in the sweet spot next to me, because I was convinced he had started singing along with the track. NOPE! The speakers were literally throwing a wraparound image and sounding freaking real! Incredible. I don’t think I’ve experienced that on any system ever, in my entire life. So, KUDOS!

Jason’s Notes

Great dynamics on Tyson's cuts. Doing photo stuff so sorry for lack of comments.

Wow big presentation on the civil wars. Very much the house sound of the bigger nimbus speakers, but with more sparkle on and slightly bolder dynamics. I can see why people were saying this system is maybe a bit better than the other system with all of that considered.

Tom waits wow sounds like a dingy bar in here and I love it!!! Again I love the big soundstage and imaging that the vapor stuff presents. Wow sorry stopped typing and got a little lost in the realism. It's incredible how loud we are listening with absolutely no shout or offensive bass issues. Oh, gee I wonder if it's the Gik panels that seem to be in at least half of the best rooms we've heard.

Boy the two systems here are pretty phenomenal I can see why there's so much controversy as to which is the better....